On game days, they militantly march into Tiger Stadium in purple and gold uniforms with expressionless faces and eyes fixed straight ahead.
They march onto the field like an approaching storm and send chills down the spines of more than 91,000 fans.
The flashes of lightning are their shining instruments and the roar of thunder — the opening bars of their “pregame.”
They are the Golden Band from Tigerland, a long-standing tradition at LSU that dates back to the early 1890s.
Throughout the years, the band was directed by a former Louisiana governor, meticulously supported by Huey Long, featured in a Hollywood movie and last spring, received the Sudler Trophy, making them the number one college marching band in the country.
“The band has had a long tradition of excellence and works as one of the most positive recruiting vehicles at LSU,” said Associate Director of Bands Linda Moorhouse. “The band has become synonymous with major school spirit.”
The Tiger Band’s Web site is full of posts by ardent fans who say things such as, “The Golden Band from Tigerland rocks!” and “Life stands still when it comes to watching the Golden Band perform!”
“The band is a great asset that LSU has,” said School of Music Dean Ronald Ross. “They are very deserving of the number one title in the nation.”
Obviously, the band’s hard work pays off, and no one knows this more than the members themselves.
“[Being part of the band] gets kind of time- consuming,” said biological engineering junior Megan Morris, a Tiger Band trumpet player. “But for someone who likes music, it really gets into your system.”
Morris said she began playing the trumpet in fifth grade and was urged by friends to audition for the band after high school.
Once she was accepted, Morris said her passion for performing with the band became almost addictive.
Travis McIlwain, a mass communication senior and trumpet player, said, for him, the fall semester and football season instantly are associated with performing in Tiger Band.
“We are one of the only schools in the country where being in the band is considered cool,” McIlwain said.
McIlwain said at many schools, the student body often is unappreciative of their band.
Morris agreed, saying a fellow student in her English class enthusiastically commented she had attempted to locate Morris in the band on a gameday.
McIlwain also said when the topic comes up in conversation, it usually is met with positive praise from others.
“Here at LSU, our [band] students hold some sort of celebrity status,” Moorhouse said.
The Tiger Band, made up of about 325 members, consists of a drumline, a brass section, the colorguard and the Golden Girls.
Band members usually perform four times a week and on Saturdays, sometimes not in the best weather situations.
When many students and faculty packed up to return home for the days off for Tropical Storm Isidore, the band continued practice.
According to Morris, Tiger Band directors had to ask the University for special permission to continue practice even though everyone was expected off campus by 4:30 p.m.
Dietetics senior and Golden Girls captain Blair Buras has been part of the squad for three years and now choreographs the dance numbers.
“I feel special to be chosen as part of the band,” Buras said. “I’d do this for 10 more years if I could.”
Moorhouse said she is proud of the band members and their dedication throughout the years.
Band members’ dedication to the band is most poignant as they sing the Alma Mater before and after games.
Before the game, band members form a circle in the Indoor Football Facility to sing the Alma Mater.
“It’s just about re-identifying what we’re all about,” Moorhouse said. “[Besides winning or losing the game], what’s most important is the brotherhood and friendships that are developed within the band.”